Northern Land Council
Encyclopedia
The Northern Land Council (NLC) is in the Top End
of the Northern Territory
of Australia
. It has its origins in the struggle of Australian Aboriginal people for rights to fair wages and land. This included the strike and walk off
by the Gurindji people
at Wave Hill, cattle station in 1966. The head office is located in Darwin
. It was established in 1973.
The NLC Chairman is Wali Wunungmurra.
It is one of four in the Northern Territory, the others are:
The most important responsibility of the councils is to consult traditional landowners and other Aborigines who have an interest in Aboriginal land about land use, land management and access by external tourism, mining and other businesses. This sometimes involves facilitating group negotiation and consensus-building among scores of traditional Aboriginal landowner groups, and many other affected Aboriginal people. There are 30,000 Aboriginal people from 200 communities.
Many Aboriginal people in the Northern Land Council's area live in the major towns. There are about 200 communities scattered over Aboriginal land in the NLC's area, ranging in size from small family groups on outstations to settlements of up to 3,000 people.
The Northern Land Council is a representative body with statutory authority under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. It also has responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993
(so the Native Title Tribunal) and the Pastoral Land Act 1992. The NLC's Top End zone is divided into seven regions with regional offices.
Today Aboriginal people make up 27% of the Northern Territory's population and own some 49% of the land in the Northern Territory.
, in February 1973 set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory
. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Northern Land Council and a Central Land Council
be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people.
In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Fraser Government on 16 December 1976 and began operation on Australia Day
, that is 26 January 1977.
This Act established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could, for the first time, claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. In effect it allowed title to be transferred of most of the Aboriginal reserve lands and the opportunity to claim other land not owned, leased or being used by someone else.
Regional Offices
Australian National Audit Office
Top End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has its origins in the struggle of Australian Aboriginal people for rights to fair wages and land. This included the strike and walk off
The Gurindji Strike
The Gurindji Strike refers to the walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families in August 1966 at Wave Hill cattle station in Australia's Northern Territory....
by the Gurindji people
Gurindji people
Gurindji are a group of Indigenous Australians living in northern Australia, 460 km southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory's Victoria River region....
at Wave Hill, cattle station in 1966. The head office is located in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. It was established in 1973.
The NLC Chairman is Wali Wunungmurra.
It is one of four in the Northern Territory, the others are:
- the Central Land CouncilCentral Land CouncilThe Central Land Council is an Indigenous Land Council that represents the indigenous people of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia, predominantly in land issues...
covering the southern half - the Tiwi Land CouncilTiwi Land CouncilThe Tiwi Land Council was established following requests by the Tiwi people for recognition of their distinct geographic and cultural identity. These representations were a consequence of the which came into operation on 26 January 1977....
covering the Tiwi IslandsTiwi IslandsThe Tiwi Islands are part of Australia's Northern Territory, north of Darwin where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island and Bathurst Island, with a combined area of ....
north of DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... - the Anindilyakawa Land Council covering Groote EylandtGroote EylandtGroote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeastern Australia. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people who speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language)....
in the Gulf of CarpentariaGulf of CarpentariaThe Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
.
The most important responsibility of the councils is to consult traditional landowners and other Aborigines who have an interest in Aboriginal land about land use, land management and access by external tourism, mining and other businesses. This sometimes involves facilitating group negotiation and consensus-building among scores of traditional Aboriginal landowner groups, and many other affected Aboriginal people. There are 30,000 Aboriginal people from 200 communities.
Many Aboriginal people in the Northern Land Council's area live in the major towns. There are about 200 communities scattered over Aboriginal land in the NLC's area, ranging in size from small family groups on outstations to settlements of up to 3,000 people.
The Northern Land Council is a representative body with statutory authority under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. It also has responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993
Native Title Act 1993
The Native Title Act of 1993 provides for determinations of native title in Australia. The Act was passed by the Keating Labor Government in response to the High Court's decision in Mabo v Queensland...
(so the Native Title Tribunal) and the Pastoral Land Act 1992. The NLC's Top End zone is divided into seven regions with regional offices.
Today Aboriginal people make up 27% of the Northern Territory's population and own some 49% of the land in the Northern Territory.
History
The Commonwealth Government of Gough Whitlam set up the Woodward Aboriginal Land Rights Commission, a Royal CommissionRoyal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
, in February 1973 set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Northern Land Council and a Central Land Council
Central Land Council
The Central Land Council is an Indigenous Land Council that represents the indigenous people of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia, predominantly in land issues...
be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people.
In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Fraser Government on 16 December 1976 and began operation on Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
, that is 26 January 1977.
This Act established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could, for the first time, claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. In effect it allowed title to be transferred of most of the Aboriginal reserve lands and the opportunity to claim other land not owned, leased or being used by someone else.
Office locations
Head Office- Darwin
Regional Offices
- PalmerstonPalmerston, Northern TerritoryPalmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory...
(on the outskirts of Darwin) - KatherineKatherine, Northern TerritoryKatherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
- JabiruJabiru, Northern TerritoryJabiru is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was originally built in 1982 as a closed town to house the community living at Jabiru East near the Ranger Uranium Mine eight kilometres away. Both the mine and the town are completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park.- Overview :Jabiru...
- Nhulunbuy
- Tennant Creek
- Ngukurr
- Borroloola
- Timber Creek
Regional Councils
- Borroloola/Barkley
- Darwin/Daly
- East Arnhem
- KatherineKatherine, Northern TerritoryKatherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
- Ngukurr
- Victoria RiverVictoria RiverVictoria River may refer to:*Victoria River , the longest river in the Northern Territory of Australia*Victoria River, New Zealand in New Zealand*Victoria River in Newfoundland and Labrador...
District - West Arnhem
External links
Australian National Audit Office
- Performance Audit of Northern Territory Land Councils and the Aboriginals Benefit Account No. 28, Tabled: 7 February 2003